1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle sun visors having a vanity mirror and a light source for providing illumination to the user of the visor.
2. Background Art
Vehicles, such as automobiles and trucks, commonly employ sun visors. Such visors typically include a vanity mirror and a light source for providing illumination to the user of the vanity mirror. The light source is typically energized by the vehicle's electrical system. In so doing, electrical conduit (wiring) is required to be run from the electrical system of the vehicle to such vanity light source. Such electrical conduits are typically run through the support arm of the visor.
An energy source independent from the vehicle electrical system, such as a battery, can be located within the visor vanity itself for energizing the light source. (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,868) This eliminates the labor and material costs required in running electrical conduit (wiring) between the vehicle's electrical system and the visor. However, this arrangement has several drawbacks. First, the light sources typically used, such as incandescent bulbs, consume an amount of energy that makes using in independent power source such a batteries impractical. In such circumstances, the batteries would have a relatively short life before they would need to be replaced. Second, if the vanity light source is accidentally left on, the independent power source such as a battery will be depleted and will again have to be replaced.